http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/players/bubba_starling/144334 Recent articles about Bubba Starling en-us KANSAS CITY, Mo. As the Royals' first-round pick in 2011, outfielder Bubba Starling knows full well the expectations of him. Starling also understands that any time he struggles in the Royals' minor-league system, there always will be whispers that his next stop surely will be at Nebraska to play quarterback for the Cornhuskers. For the record, though, Starling, says he's not about to bail on the Royals. "Nah, I don't even think about (Nebraska)," Starling told FOXSportsKansasCity.com by phone. "I'm committed to the Royals. I want to improve every year, and that's all I think about." Starling, 20, understands why there would be such speculation about his dedication. One of the top quarterback prospects in the nation out of Gardner-Edgerton (Kan.) High School, Starling accepted a scholarship to Nebraska during that summer of 2011. The Royals, though, used the fifth overall draft pick on him, then gave him 7.5 million reasons to walk away from that scholarship, Wed, 22 May 2013 13:08:39 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/royals_fans_needs_not_worry_about_where_bubbas_heart_is/13671808 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/royals_fans_needs_not_worry_about_where_bubbas_heart_is/13671808 Royals fans needs not worry about where Bubba's heart is http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/royals_fans_needs_not_worry_about_where_bubbas_heart_is/13671808 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png KANSAS CITY, MO (August 31, 2012) – The Kansas City Royals have named their Minor League Pitchers and Players of the Year for their respective affiliates.  The Paul Splittorff Pitcher of the Year and George Brett Hitter of the Year will be announced this offseason. A majority of the players are expected to be at Kauffman Stadium for Futures Night on Friday, September 14, where they will take part in an autograph session at Gate A from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., as well as be honored in an on-field presentation prior to the Royals game against the Angels. OMAHA (AAA) Right-handed pitcher Jake Odorizzi has been named the Omaha Pitcher of the Year.  The 22-year-old is 11-3 with a 2.93 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) for the playoff-bound Storm Chasers after going 4-2 with a 3.32 ERA in seven starts with Northwest Arkansas (AA) to begin the campaign.  Odorizzi’s 15 combined victories are tied for the second-most in the minors.  He started for the U.S. squad in the SiriusXM MLB All-Star Future... Fri, 31 Aug 2012 15:10:23 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/royals_name_minor_league_players_and_pitchers_of_the_year/11598334 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/royals_name_minor_league_players_and_pitchers_of_the_year/11598334 Royals name minor league players and pitchers of the year http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/royals_name_minor_league_players_and_pitchers_of_the_year/11598334 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Kansas City Royals are a great example of how far a great farm system can take you and also the limitations of that farm system. The lineup is chalk full of exciting young players and there are more on the way. Unfortunately, the mound hasn’t seen the same level of success, so the team is still struggling overall. Still, if you want to watch an exciting young team moving forward you can always check out this club. In recent seasons, Salvador Perez, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and Alex Gordon have come up and contributed in a huge way. Meanwhile, Billy Butler is still relatively young and transplants like Jeff Francouer and Alcides Escobar have filled in the blanks. The problem is that none of the names listed are pitchers and they are still on the look out for enough arms to fill out a decent enough rotation.     Age Level How BP BA MLB POS C Manny Pina 25 AAA T NR NR NR NR 1B Clint Robinson 27 AAA D NR NR NR NR 2B... Fri, 17 Aug 2012 10:52:30 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/prime_nine_kansas_city_royals/11480815 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/prime_nine_kansas_city_royals/11480815 Prime Nine: Kansas City Royals http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/prime_nine_kansas_city_royals/11480815 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Jonathan Mayo and MLB.com decided to pare down the outfield list to ten instead of splitting them up into different positions. So, all of the guys you will see are guys that are on one of the three positions on hardballchat.com. Both Bryce Harper and Mike Trout were considered to be big leaguers on this list, so we are looking at the next generation of great stars. 1) Bubba Starling– Kansas City Royals (R) Slash: .292/.425/.523 SO/BB: 21/12 Age: 19 Bubba Starling was one of the poster children for the changes in the MLB Draft in the new CBA. First of all, he parlayed a threat to play college football at Nebraska into a huge bonus. Secondly, like many of the other first rounders, he didn’t sign until August 15th, so he didn’t play last season and the Royals didn’t want to expose him to full season ball this year. It’s been a long wait for Royals fans, but Starling is showing them it was well worth the wait. 2) Wil Myers– Kansas City Royals (AAA) Slash: .317/.396/.654 SO/... Wed, 25 Jul 2012 15:19:49 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/mlbcom_top_ten_outfield_prospects/11297980 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/mlbcom_top_ten_outfield_prospects/11297980 MLB.com Top Ten Outfield Prospects http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/mlbcom_top_ten_outfield_prospects/11297980 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png There’s been quite a bit of movement among the center fielders. Mike Trout has elevated himself from top prospect to legitimate superstar. Will any of these guys join him at future all-star games? Will any of them get dealt before the deadline for veteran help down the stretch. It is sure to be an exciting time for many of these guys. Gary Brown– San Francisco Giants (AA) PA: 388 AVG: .273 OBP: .345 SLG: .367 SO%: 15% BB%: 6% SB: 22 Brown continues to improve and has elevated himself enough to be a decent trade piece should the Giants want something down the stretch. Brown is blocked by Angel Pagan in center field, so he may get dealt for infield help. Michael Choice– Oakland Athletics (AA) PA: 350 AVG: .257 OBP: .326 SLG: .368 SO%: 26% BB%: 8% SB: 5 Choice has definitely leveled out this year when he moved up to AA. This happens with a lot of prospects. He is still young enough to adapt and he will get the opportunity to do that again next year. Sometimes, even the bes... Sat, 07 Jul 2012 19:32:24 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/top_ten_center_field_prospects_update_3/11174498 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/top_ten_center_field_prospects_update_3/11174498 Top Ten Center Field Prospects Update #3 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/top_ten_center_field_prospects_update_3/11174498 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png After more than a year of anxious anticipation, Kansas City Royals fans finally saw (via an Internet box score) Bubba Starling in action. Let the hand-wringing begin. The Royals top-rated prospect and the number one outfield prospect as ranked by mlb.com, fanned three times in five at bats in his first ever game as a pro at rookie league Burlington.  And that after months of contract negotiations, Nebraska Cornhusker football practices, a fall season cut short by injury, and an embarrasing arrest. A hamstring injury kept him out of the first nine of Burlington’s 68 games, and kept Royals fans in a state of panic that their local phenom would fall short of their lofty expectations.  Any roadblock is not good for Starling. He’s old for a high-school draftee – he’ll be 20 on August 3 – and has a decidedly steep learning curve before him, coming from a Kansas high school. Well, the wait is finally over. Now the scrutiny can begin in earnest. When you’re the number one pick (and a multi... Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:29:05 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/starling_debuts_with_three_ks_let_the_hand_wringing_begin/11117159 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/starling_debuts_with_three_ks_let_the_hand_wringing_begin/11117159 Starling Debuts With Three K’s: Let The Hand-Wringing Begin http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/starling_debuts_with_three_ks_let_the_hand_wringing_begin/11117159 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Royals’ rookie league teams have several youngsters taking the field who are worthy of note. Unfortunately, thus far, Bubba Starling hasn’t been one of them. The youth movement in KC may not be over. The host of youngsters pumping new life into the Royals ballclub may have company in a few years. But staring Royals fans in the face, sitting atop the list of their top minor league prospects, is Starling. Long on promise but totally lacking in performance, Starling keeps us all waiting. After months of contract negotiations, Nebraska Cornhusker football practices, a fall season cut short by injury and marred by an arrest, Starling can finally start proving that the Royals were smart to select him fifth in the 2011 draft. But a hamstring injury kept him out of the first week of games for the Burlington Royals. Starling. The wait, and the drama, is starting to make fans wonder if he’ll ever live up to his billing. While not headline grabbers, there were other noteworthy unveilings ... Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:00:38 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/royals_rookie_league_debuts_dont_include_starling/11086886 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/royals_rookie_league_debuts_dont_include_starling/11086886 Royals Rookie League Debuts Don’t Include Starling http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/royals_rookie_league_debuts_dont_include_starling/11086886 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Kansas City Royals 2011 1st round draft pick (#5 overall), Bubba Starling is set to start his professional baseball career with Burlington Royals.The Royals gave the 6'4"  180 lb. outfielder from Gardner Edgerton High School a $7.5M bonus, wooing  him away from the football field and a Nebraska scholarship. The Appalacian League begins play on June 19 and players are set to report to Burlington in the middle of next week.  Wed, 06 Jun 2012 16:54:47 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/royals_2011_1_draft_pick_bubba_starling_to_start_pro_career_in_burlington/10956098 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/royals_2011_1_draft_pick_bubba_starling_to_start_pro_career_in_burlington/10956098 Royals 2011 #1 Draft Pick, Bubba Starling, to Start Pro Career in Burlington http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/royals_2011_1_draft_pick_bubba_starling_to_start_pro_career_in_burlington/10956098 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Before this year, the MLB Amateur Draft was a free for all. There were slot recommendations, but that's all they were: recommendations. If you exceeded slot, your only punishment would be a stern talking to by the commissioner's office. Many teams threw the recommendations to the wind, and drafted the best players where they deserved to be taken instead of going with "signable" picks just to make the commissioner's office happy. Remember back in a rather non-descript 2002 draft, when the Pirates took Bryan Bullington #1 overall, and BJ Upton went #2 to the Rays? Bullington got a $4 million bonus while Upton got $4.6 million. Bullington never threw a pitch in the majors, while Upton is a solid starter on the Rays. In a more recent example, the Pirates went with catcher Tony Sanchez fourth overall in 2009, because Sanchez signed for just $2.5 million, a quarter million under slot. Four players taken after Sanchez got higher bonuses, including Shelby Miller of the... Tue, 05 Jun 2012 16:52:13 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/is_mlb_ruining_the_amateur_draft/10947683 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/is_mlb_ruining_the_amateur_draft/10947683 Is MLB ruining the amateur draft? http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/is_mlb_ruining_the_amateur_draft/10947683 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png It’s prospect season again. I’ve had my rankings listed on team pages, but have been horrible about keeping those up to date. As I mentioned on the pages, I’m looking at other rankings when I make mine (along with scouting reports and my own opinion). To the other side of Missouri for the Royals. For the top 20, I’ve listed them according to my ranking. I’ve also listed the rankings of other sites that have Top XX lists (they range from 5 until 40, depending on the site) (I removed this, as I’m trying to get the lists done by the end of spring training). Then the average rankings is of all of the rankings (mine and the ones formerly listed); the rank follows the average. Top 20 Prospects 1. Wil Myers, OF Average Ranking: 1.36 (1st) 2. Bubba Starling, OF Average Ranking: 2.00 (2nd) 3. Jake Odorizzi, RHP Average Ranking: 3.91 (T-3rd) 4. Mike Montgomery, LHP Average Ranking: 3.91 (T- 3rd) 5. Chelsor Cuthbert, 3B Average Ranking: 4.18 (5th) 6. John Lamb, LHP Average Ranking: 6.90 (6th... Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:36:37 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/2012_top_20_prospects_kansas_city_royals/10570966 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/2012_top_20_prospects_kansas_city_royals/10570966 2012 Top 20 Prospects – Kansas City Royals http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/2012_top_20_prospects_kansas_city_royals/10570966 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Royals system graduated two blue chip prospects in 2011 in Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas. Others in the system took a slight step backwards in development. Still, the system has a lot of potential fantasy talent, and added to that talent in the first round of the 2011 amateur draft. Top 5 fantasy baseball prospects 1- Wil Myers, OF Myers made the transition from catcher to outfielder, but didn't put up the stats in Double-A most would have hoped for. It should be noted that he suffered a knee injury that ended up getting infected, and it's possible that was a big contributing factor to his struggles. He made up for his “down,” year by impressing onlookers in the Arizona Fall League (AFL). In the AFL he hit .360/.481/.674 with four home runs and 20 walks in 106 plate appearances. Myers outstanding plate discipline should help him be an on-base percentage monster. He projects to be a middle of the order hitter with more power than he's presently showing... Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:11:19 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/royals_5x5_2012_prospect_rankings/10280605 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/royals_5x5_2012_prospect_rankings/10280605 Royals 5x5 2012 Prospect Rankings http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/royals_5x5_2012_prospect_rankings/10280605 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Kansas City entered 2011 with the undisputed best minor league system in baseball. A year later the landscape has chanced somewhat thanks to promotions (Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez, Tim Collins, etc.) and injuries. The organization is not as deep as it once was but it still has some impressive talent and is easily in the Top 10, if not the Top 5, when discussing the best minor league systems. 1. Wil Myers, OF BORN: Dec. 10, 1990 EXPERIENCE: 3 seasons ACQUIRED: 2009 3rd round, North Carolina HS 2010-11 TOP 10 RANKING: 3rd Drafted as a prep catcher, the organization made the difficult decision to move Myers to right field so his defensive development would not hold him back and would allow his potentially-plus bat to dictate his movement through the system. After a dominating performance in A-ball in 2010, Myers struggled at double-A and was merely “average” according to his wRC+ of .104. He continued to show patience (12.5 BB%) but his strikeout rate rose to almost 21... Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:04:14 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/top_15_prospects_kansas_city_royals/9919546 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/top_15_prospects_kansas_city_royals/9919546 Top 15 Prospects: Kansas City Royals http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/top_15_prospects_kansas_city_royals/9919546 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Prospect #1: OF Wil Myers Background with Player: My eyes; industry sources. Who: Myers was considered a top-ten prospect before the 2011 season by many national publications. He failed to live up to those lofty expectations in 2011, causing many to forget about the developmental aspects of the process and jump off the bandwagon when his prospect perfume wasn’t as sweet. Ah, people can be so quick to misinterpret failure. Myers has all the tools necessary to become a first-division right fielder, and the statistical setbacks that occurred in the Texas League weren’t the result of one tyrannical culprit; rather, Myers faced a series of developmental hurdles and failed to clear them on his first jump. At the plate, he has the kind of bat speed you can’t teach but can’t wait to preach, starting with fast hands, excellent hip rotation, and a clean path to the ball. He projects to hit for both average and power down the line, with the type of advanced approach that will allow for on-... Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:22:18 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/prospects_will_break_your_heart_what_could_go_wrong_in_2012_kansas_city_royals_by_jason_parks/9724726 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/prospects_will_break_your_heart_what_could_go_wrong_in_2012_kansas_city_royals_by_jason_parks/9724726 Prospects Will Break Your Heart: What Could Go Wrong in 2012: Kansas City Royals by Jason Parks http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/prospects_will_break_your_heart_what_could_go_wrong_in_2012_kansas_city_royals_by_jason_parks/9724726 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png I tried to watch the press conference where Bud Selig announced the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, although it was hard to keep track of the announcement while following all of the details on Twitter.  I didn’t catch every word that was said, so I probably missed an announcement that went something like this: “We’re proud to say that with this new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Pittsburgh Pirates have forever been eliminated from the playoffs”. I can only assume that this was said because all of the details that have come out about the new CBA pretty much have said the same thing. Take the draft for example.  No team has spent more on the draft the last four years than the Pirates.  In this time they’ve gone over-slot on middle round guys like Robbie Grossman, Nick Kingham, Ryan Hafner, Colton Cain, Zack Von Rosenberg, Zack Dodson, Stetson Allie, and most recently, Josh Bell.  That will all change with the new rules. Teams are now limited to their total spending, which is determined Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:16:15 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/the_day_the_pirates_were_forever_eliminated_from_contention/8266072 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/the_day_the_pirates_were_forever_eliminated_from_contention/8266072 The Day the Pirates Were Forever Eliminated From Contention http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/the_day_the_pirates_were_forever_eliminated_from_contention/8266072 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/f/cfbebbcb59592c21cc0a1b3625bf391e2df15d86/mini/PicImg_MLB_2011_All_0a83.jpg